The Assassin of the South
by Goldryn
Summary: Kelsea Barrow believes her twin sister from the life she left behind 8 years ago is dead along with the rest of her loved ones. After growing up with the Silent Assassins Kelsea has grown to become one of the greatest Assassins known in the South. A personal mission in Skull's Bay will change Kelsea's life forever as she comes face to with her greatest rival, Celaena Sardothien.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry that it's so long I didn't mean for it to be so long. Also this is my first Fanfic I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters apart from Kelsea in this Fanfic.**

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Kelsea Barrow sat in her humid cabin the Captain of this piss poor ship assigned her for the duration of her trip to Skull's Bay. Over an hour ago she pulled out her sketch book hoping to pass the time. She was only just finishing the outline of her home the Sessiz Suikast. Oh, how she missed the fortress and the friendly faces that lived within. She missed training with the master, she missed her friend Ilias, she even missed the 6-mile run through the scorching hot of the Red Desert. She's been on this rutting ship for a week and the heat was really starting to piss her off.

She'd been shut up in her cabin ever since she got on the ship to conceal her identity and the cabin only seemed to get hotter. Feeling her sweat drip down her back she shot out of her chair so fast that it flipped over. Disgusted and outraged she stormed over to the window, flung it open and leant her was into the breeze. Kelsea sighed as the wind kissed her face, flushed with heat and anger. You'd think that living in the Red Desert for most of her life that she'd be used to the heat but alas she was not and it still irritated her to no end.

She stared out towards the glistening turquoise ocean that matched the colour of her eyes the only difference being the ring of gold around Kelsea's pupils. She found herself gritting her teeth as she recalled the reason why she came on this retched trip into the heart of the Dead Islands.

It would seem that the Pirate Lord Rolfe is invested in the slave trade. It is absolutely disgusting how people think they can steal people from their homes and sell they off for profit regardless if they have rebelled against Adarlan or not. Naturally this didn't sit well with Kelsea so after requesting permission from the Master to leave the fortress she went to the nearest dock and inquired after a ship headed to Skull's Bay.

She hoped to help the slaves, perhaps even free them although her alone might not be enough even though she is the best of the best. There was no doubt within the Silent Assassins that she was the best of their numbers and at only the age of _sixteen_. She prided herself on this fact actually. The only person that really gave her a struggle apart from the Master himself was Ilias the Master's son and one of her small number of friends. Thinking of the best assassins brought the infamous Adarlan's Assassin to mind. Oh, how she _loathed_ Celaena Sardothien and how she called herself the _best assassin_ in all of Erilea. For a heartbeat, she let herself imagine what it would feel like to skewer Arobynn Hamel's protégé with her sword.

Smiling to herself she saw the massive chain that protects the bay come into view. Ship-Breaker was its name – an excellent source of defense that would break any mast of any ship that dared challenge its competency. Someone knocked on the door and Kelsea whirled to face it, irritated from the interruption of her thoughts she spoke through the door answering the knock.

"What?" Some of her irritation leaked into her voice causing it to sound sharper than she intended.

"Um, we'll be arriving within the hour miss. I just thought that I'd let you know." The member of the crew sounded startled by the sharpness in her tone and maybe even a little frightened. The whole crew knew they were transporting one of the deadliest assassins on the continent, which made it even easier to conceal her identity as no one dared to bother her throughout the entire trip.

"Fine." She snapped back and listened to the crewman's retreating footsteps and turned to face the small table in the room. Sighing through her nose she walked over to the table where her sketchbook sat and the chair lying on the floor from where she knocked it earlier in annoyance. Picking the chair up from the ground and placing it upright she started gathering her sketchbook and supplies. After everything was organized for her departure she flopped down onto the bed. Lying on her back she stared up at the ceiling and contemplated how she was going to approach the mission that she set for herself. Kelsea knew that she should concentrate all her focus onto planning but she couldn't help counting down the minutes until she was off the filthy ship. Thank the gods it was only another hour.

 **~⁂~**

Kelsea stalked through the streets of Skull's Bay towards the tavern where a man on the docks said he saw the Pirate Lord Rolfe heading earlier. Dressed in head to toe black her cloak blew out behind her due to the quick walking pace that she set. The citizens gawked at her as she strode past them some even stumbled back in fear. She assumed she looked pretty intimidating in her black clothes especially when she was wearing this ridiculous mask to hide her features.

It was a pain in the ass to hide her appearance all the time as she always got to hot wearing all the layers but it was necessary if she wanted to go out into the world and be treated as a normal human being instead of cowered from. She loved to stroll through the streets of Xandria on market day and talk to some friendly stall owners and converse with society instead of everyone scared to death thinking that she was going to kill them. She probably could have come to talk to Rolfe under a different name but she wanted the strength and power that her name and reputation give her to have an edge on him.

Sighing through her nose which she immediately regretted as it heated her already smoldering face beneath her mask she spotted the tavern Kelsea quickened her pace eager to get this over with so she could go to the nearest inn and have a nice cold bath to cool herself down.

Approaching the tavern, the guards station at the doors exchanged an unsure glace upon taking in her appearance. The guards at the door stopped her and asked for her to hand over her weapons. Annoyed she handed them over because the guards no doubt wouldn't let her through with them without causing a fuss and she was already frustrated from this small delayed. After she finished handing over her weapons she pulled two silver coins out of her pocket and flipped one to each guard and continued in through the door.

The interior of the tavern wasn't much there wasn't anyone inside except for the barkeep behind bar cleaning glasses. Kelsea approached the barkeep determined on finding Rolfe so she could go have that cold bath that was looking even more appealing every second.

"Where's Rolfe?" Her voice came out low and gravely. Although the mask was torture to wear it did have its merits. One of them being the fact that it disguises the sound of her voice making it hard to determine how old Kelsea is.

"Who are you?" The barkeep demanded his voice sharp.

"Kelsea Barrow", she answered easily. "Now, where is Rolfe?" The barkeeps eyes widened and he stumbled back a step upon hearing her name. Behind her mask Kelsea smiled at the man's reaction. Yes, it was definitely a good idea to use her real name.

"H-He's b-busy."

"Where is he." Kelsea demanded growing irritated by the delay.

"U-upstairs." She turned on her heels and headed towards the stairs that no doubt lead to the Pirate Lord's office. "W-wait he's in a meeting!" The barkeep shouted frantically after her but she ignored him and strode up the stairs.

 _In a meeting! Who could he possibly be in a meeting with? Surely, he_ _s heard by now that I_ _ve arrived and am looking for him._

Kelsea strode towards the door at the end of the hall guarded by two men.

"Who are you!" they demanded at the same time. She rolled her eyes at the men then realized they couldn't see it due to the mask.

"Kelsea Barrow." The men exchange a wary glace upon hearing her name and one even put a hand on his sword. Kelsea continued her stride toward the door never faltering a step.

"What are you doing!" The guard on the right demanded as he sensed her intent to go into Rolfe's office. "You can't go in there!"

"Watch me." Kelsea punched one guard in the stomach who doubled over in pain heaving and tripped the other who's head slammed into the ground causing him black out.

Approaching the door, Kelsea extended her hand towards the knob deciding to be dramatic and open the door and walk in like she owned the place. Hell, she was _Kelsea Barrow_ for gods' sake. _What if the door_ _s locked?_ Dismissing the thought Kelsea twisted the handle and was delighted to find that it wasn't indeed locked. She pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold. Upon entering she found three heads immediately whip towards her.

One was Rolfe seated in a chair behind a desk which was covered in paperwork who upon seeing her blinked in surprise then quickly collected himself and broke out into a grin. Obviously, he _had_ heard that she was here and looking for him. The other two were seated in front of Rolfe and were completely unfamiliar. One to Kelsea's surprise, was dressed in head to toe black and wore a mask much like her own the other was handsome and had dark hair and brown eyes.

The one in black quickly shot out of their chair and took a step towards her. The other shot out of his chair but instead surveyed the area. Kelsea's eyes remained on the person in black surveying their intentions. _Why was their face concealed while their companions was not?_ It looked like they were going to attack which suited Kelsea because she was actually dying for a fight right now, after a week trapped in a hot cabin with no one to talk to built up a lot of anger she was eager to release.

"Celaena." The dark haired one warned as he put a hand on the one clad in black's arm. _Celaena? Could it be Celaena Sardothien? It would explain why they were concealing their features._ How she would love to fight Celaena Sardothien and show her who really is the best. The dark figure – Celaena shook off the dark-haired one's hand. Kelsea wanting a fight cocked her head to the side as she surveyed Celaena egging her on. Celaena took the bait easily and took another step towards her snarling. Smirking to herself Kelsea bent her legs slightly preparing herself for the fight when a voice spoke up from behind the Celaena and her companion.

"Ladies." Rolfe said to them still seated in his chair behind the desk trying to calm the situation. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the dark haired one shoot Rolfe a grateful look. Kelsea held her position facing Celaena still ready for a fight. She could sense that Celaena felt the same way. "As interesting as it would be to see the two best assassins in Erilea face off against each other I really don't think that this is the ideal place for such a thing." Rolfe drawled trying again to calm the situation but still both assassins held their positions staring at each other.

Sounding surprised the dark-haired one asked "Best assassins?"

"I think an introduction is in order, don't you?" Rolfe asked nobody in particular. When nobody replied Rolfe sighed and went on rising from his chair and walking over to the three of them. "Sam Cortland, Celaena Sardothien meet Kelsea Barrow. Kelsea Barrow meet Sam Cortland and Celaena Sardothien."

"Kelsea Barrow." The dark haired one – Sam Cortland mumbled as he turned from Rolfe to look at her a single brow raised.

"Celaena." Sam Cortland tried again placing his hand on her arm again. Again, she shook it off but seem to calm down a little bit. "Now is not the time for a fight."

"Fine!" Celaena snapped at him not taking her eyes off of Kelsea. She couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. "You won't be laughing when I gut you Barrow." She spat at Kelsea.

"Such pleasantries, it's a pity that we haven't met sooner. You seem like such a ray of sunshine." Kelsea crooned letting out a small chuckle. Sardothien let out a growl which just made Kelsea laugh harder. Sam was surveying the assassins wearily when Rolfe spoke up. He addressed the two assassins in front of Kelsea.

"Alright then, I'll have the documents signed and returned to you tomorrow. For now…I have two rooms prepared for you", he then turned to Kelsea "and one for you"

"We only need one." Sardothien said. Rolfe raised his eyebrows suggestively, Cortland chocked on a laugh and Kelsea started cackling. "One room, _two_ beds" when she said this it only made Kelsea laugh harder. Rolfe chuckled as he strode to the door and opened it for them. "As you wish. I'll have baths drawn for as well. You could all use one." He winked at them.

"Delightful." Kelsea said as she strode past Rolfe and continued walking until she was out of the tavern.

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 **Please tell me if you think I should continue. If you have any suggestions or constructive criticism please tell me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews I honestly wasn't expecting it! Again sorry that it is so long but hopefully you enjoy it anyway.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the character's in this fic apart from Kelsea.**

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After about an hour spent strolling through the street of Skull's Bay Kelsea found that there was absolutely nothing to do in this shit hole of a town. She'd wandered down to the docks earlier to watch the ocean and now found herself sitting on the dock with her feet dangling over the side bored to death.

Sighing to herself she thought of ways she could entertain herself. She could go to her room that Rolfe had set up for her and continue her sketch of the fortress, but the idea of being shut up in a stuffy room by herself wasn't very appealing. She could go talk to Rolfe about the slaves, but she still didn't have a solid plan of action and she wasn't just going to approach him and demand for him to release his slaves. That would cause a lot of trouble that she didn't really feel inclined to deal with right now. Or she could go find Celaena Sardothien and rile her up again because Gods that was the most fun she'd had on this trip.

With stiff legs from sitting in the same position for too long Kelsea stood and checked her watch. Frowning as she saw the direction the little hands pointed to. Kelsea had little under and hour until she was to attend a dinner with the Pirate Lord and she was still wearing the clothes that she arrived in. Opting to look clean and presentable she started her trek back to her own room. Sardothien and her companion Sam Cortland were attending the dinner as well which Kelsea's was glad of. She could rile Sardothien up during dinner. She was still itching for a fight and Sardothien was quickly becoming the best choice for her opponent.

Approaching the door to her rooms Kelsea placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted, stepping into her room. Scowling at the room Kelsea quickly checked the room for any holes for spying eyes, when she found none she started to take off all her layers and proceed toward the bathing room to start cleaning herself up and preparing for dinner. "The two best room's my ass!" Kelsea mumbled to herself repeating Rolfe's words form earlier. The room was tiny and slightly dirty looking and the bed looked horrible and was without a doubt uncomfortable and lumpy. Well at least it's not the worst place she'd ever slept. Usually Kelsea never let her mind wander back to those day's where she'd lost everything. Shuddering, Kelsea pushed the thoughts out of her mind and her pain deep, deep down so she couldn't feel it anymore.

 **⁓⁂⁓**

The dinner was unsurprisingly boring, as was everything else in the town. The food looked good but thanks to the necessity of the stupid mask she couldn't eat any of it. Although she took pleasure in the fact that Sardothien couldn't eat anything herself either due to her mask.

About half way through the meal Rolfe addressed them both, asking if they were hungry and that if they would take of their mask it would be easier for them to eat, unless their faces were to ghastly and it would make the men lose their appetites. Kelsea was in fact hungry but she'd gone longer without eating food and could quite easily last a night without any so she kept quiet and let Rolfe listen to himself speak. Perhaps she'd go down to the kitchens later and get some food. Sardothien however was not pleased and responded with "If you keep talking like that I might give _you_ a reason to wear a mask." Kelsea couldn't help herself and let out a low laugh. Sardothien's head snapped towards her to which Kelsea just gave her a small nod and to Kelsea's surprise received one back.

Rolfe and Sardothien continued talking, the topic being how she became Arobynn Hamels protégé. It was rather boring – she trained. What a surprise. The conversation did take an interesting turn when Rolfe started talking about the magical map on his hands. Kelsea mainly kept quiet until Sardothien declared herself the world's greatest assassin and let out snort that had everyone at the table turning to look at her but Kelsea however was looking at Sardothien.

Sardothien was the first to speak, "You disagree?"

"Immensely." Kelsea replied swirling the water in her glass around disinterestedly. Everyone at the table surveyed the two assassins wearily as they stared each other down.

"Mistress Barrow, why don't you tell us how you became the infamous Assassin of the South." Rolfe spoke a little hurriedly, no doubt trying to diffuse the tension between the two assassins.

"I trained." Kelsea stated easily mocking Sardothien's words from earlier and in return received a snarl to which Kelsea just laughed at. The tension between the two assassins was increasing with dizzying speed until Sardothien's companion – Sam – coughed loudly and asked Rolfe how he became the Pirate lord. When the attention moved from the pair to Rolfe, Kelsea crossed her arms and leant back in her chair waiting patiently until the end of the dinner.

 **⁓⁂⁓**

As expected Kelsea slept horribly due to the terrible mattress in her room. She woke up at dawn and was extremely hungry so she wandered down to the kitchens to find something to eat. She ate in her room and then out of boredom went up to the roof and contemplated her best approach with the slaves. She'd been up here for about an hour and a half and she was starting get hot in all her layers. Kelsea was about to start making her way off the roof when she saw Celaena Sardothien walk out of the inn alone.

Where was she going? For all the times that she'd seen Sardothien she'd always been with Sam but now she's alone. Why? Knowing that she shouldn't but doing it anyway Kelsea followed her.

 **⁓⁂⁓**

Kelsea went from rooftop to rooftop as she followed Sardothien and Rolfe. What were they talking about? Kelsea didn't know what she was expecting Sardothien to do but it certainly wasn't a meeting with Rolfe. After following them for two blocks Kelsea finally dropped down onto the streets and slid in and out of the shadows until she was at a good distance to hear the pair's conversation.

"…I have another shipment of slaves being inspected at the holding facility tonight. Why don't you join me? That way, you can have something to compare them to tomorrow." Slaves. Figures. It sounded like Rolfe had a shipment of slaves already and one coming tomorrow.

"Fine, fine. Send someone for me when it's time. And after Arobynn's slaves are inspected?" Of course, they'd be Arobynn Hamel's slaves. Kelsea's heard a lot about Arobynn Hamel and it wasn't anything nice. She actually met him when she was eight after he saved her from dying and then left her to find her own way in the world. Suddenly an idea came to her about how she was going to approach Rolfe about the slaves. Before she could even reconsider her feet moved at their own accord and now Kelsea was only a few paces behind.

"Excuse me," both heads turned towards Kelsea as she spoke and she could physically see Sardothien tense beneath her black cloak. "I couldn't help but overhear you talking about the slaves just now and I was wondering if I could join you later tonight when you inspect the slaves." Kelsea said it casually trying not to sound even a little suspicious.

"Why." Sardothien demanded and it made Kelsea clench her teeth.

"Because," Kelsea drawled, "I was thinking about investing and I wanted to see how things work." Rolfe raised his eyebrows. Kelsea focused all her attention on Rolfe as she awaited his reply. "Well?" she pushed.

"Of course, of course." He turned towards Sardothien, "If that's okay with you?"

"Perfectly." Her voice sounded strained which made Kelsea raise a single brow beneath her mask.

"Excellent!" Kelsea said easily, "I suppose I'll see you both later tonight." She waved a hand and turned on her heel and strode back towards her room. Now she's started her plan, Kelsea just needs to work out how to finish it.

 **⁓⁂⁓**

Kelsea walked beside Sardothien and Cortland as Rolfe escorted them to the holding facility where the slaves were. Kelsea hated the holding facility. It was an enormous wooden warehouse that made her blood run cold. The inside of the warehouse was horrid. The smell of unwashed bodies was like a brick to the face when Kelsea stepped inside.

There was so many people in the cells clinging to the bars or cowering against the walls. There were even children in the cells held by their parents. There were so many people in the cells, from kingdoms all over the continent. People stolen from their homes because they refused the rule of a tyrant king or just poor luck.

Two of Rolfe's captains presented a slave in front of them, apparently, he had fought back. One of the captains continued speaking about how he could be profited from. Everything around Kelsea seemed to be drowned out. Somewhere that seemed very far away Cortland started speaking. Kelsea tried to listen but all she could think of was the fact that children were being taken. _Children_ were being sold for profit. It was absolutely disgusting, there wasn't a chance in hell that she was going to let this happen.

Kelsea snapped back into the present just as she heard Sardothien ask "When will these slaves be sent out?"

"This lot? We'll divvy them up, and they'll be loaded onto a new ship tomorrow, probably. They'll sail around the same time you do, I bet. We need assembled crews." One of the captains replied, Kelsea didn't care which one she'd heard enough already. Suddenly Sardothien turned on her heel and strode out of the warehouse, Cortland rushing to catch up to her. Outraged at Sardothien for allowing her master to do this she stormed after her determined to confront her about how she could tolerate such monstrosities.

Kelsea followed her until she reached the empty beach and spoke up letting all her outrage spill into her voice, "Do this make you feel proud of your master?" Kelsea gestured back towards the warehouse. "Are you proud of him for seeking profit from the destruction of people's lives and the lives of their families?" As soon as the first word left Kelsea's mouth Sardothien whipped around to faced her, aggression rolling of her in waves.

"You know nothing of how I feel about this!" She spat at Kelsea who was still storming towards her.

"Why would you feel anything about it? It's just more money for you and your pathetic master anyway!"

"You don't know anything about me!" She screamed at Kelsea storming towards her. Suddenly all the anger that had been building up inside of Kelsea for the past weak ripped free as she launched herself at Celaena Sardothien.

Kelsea threw the first punch, all her anger poured into it, which Sardothien dodged and swung at Kelsea. Kelsea flung her arm up to block the punch and took the force of it on her forearm. Sardothien flung her knee up to attempt to kick Kelsea in the stomach but Kelsea quickly slammed her arm down on Sardothien's knee to block the move and brought the elbow of her other arm up to slam into Sardothien's face. She stumbled back and Kelsea quickly swept her foot and knocked off her feet. Without wasting anytime Kelsea flung herself on top of Sardothien pinning her to the ground her mask and hood disheveled from the fight to reveal a golden braid much like her own beneath. Sardothien was thrashing beneath her grip but Kelsea held firm her knee on Sardothien's chest. Kelsea pulled out a blade that was hidden up her sleeve and pushed it against Sardothien's neck so she stopped thrashing.

"I'm not giving Arobynn those slaves you idiot!" She snarled into Kelsea's face.

"You'd take them for your own profit! Ever the perfect protégé!" She spat back pulling her arm back to punch Sardothien in the face.

"Nobody's getting those slaves!"

"I don't believe you!" Kelsea said pushing the blade into her neck harder. "Give me one reason that I shouldn't kill you right now." She whispered.

"Because I'm going to free the slaves or die trying! The other's _and_ Arobynn's and I don't care if I do it alone because it needs to be done!" Sardothien shouted up at Kelsea.

"You won't be doing it alone," Kelsea said quietly, "because I'm going to help you." Kelsea swung her upraised arm down ripping the mask straight off her face.

Kelsea looked down at the face of Celaena Sardothien and found eyes of turquoise with a ring of gold – the same as Kelsea's eyes staring back up at her. Kelsea's heart stopped dead as she took in the rest of the details of the assassin face. It was like looking in a mirror. Kelsea quickly scrambled away from the assassin lying in the sand.

"Aelin…" Kelsea mouthed to herself.

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 **I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any suggestion or (constructive) criticism please tell. I also need a name for Kelsea before she became and assassin so if you have any suggestions I'm all ears.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and to all that have read and liked my fic it means so much to me.**

 **Also thank you to Brandofloki for the name for Kelsea I thought it was great.**

 **There is a flashback in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic apart from Kelsea**

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 _Cold. Everything was so cold. She felt herself shivering uncontrollably as she opened her eyes to behold an unfamiliar room. Everything felt dull, as if the whole world had been muted. She sat up and surveyed the room – it was rather plain. The walls were a basic white and the furniture in the room looked of good quality but simple – probably belonging to someone of middle class. In a chair, across from her sat a muscular man with long auburn hair and silver eyes._

 _She met the eyes of the handsome stranger, "Where am I?" Her voice was hoarse and trembled slightly. She didn't particularly care about where she was or how she got here. She did not care who the stranger sitting across from her was or how much he knew about where she came from. As a matter of fact, she found it hard to care about anything._

 _"_ _Safe," the stranger drawled "the location of our whereabouts however is not important at the moment." She nodded numbly. She surveyed the room again recalling the events of the previous night._

 ** _⁓_**

 _Her parents were dead and her uncle was dead. Their family was dead. It was just her and Aelin now. She sat in a chair across from Aelin in the kitchen after Lady Marion had lifted them away from their parent's corpses and scrubbed them both clean. Neither one of them spoke – they didn't need to. They knew how the other felt because it was the same way they themselves were feeling. They were orphans now with no one left but each other._

 _After sitting at the kitchen table for hours they finally heard the beat of hooves on the ground. A single ridder circling the house looking for the best entrance point. An assassin looking to finish last night's job and kill the two young princesses._

 _"_ _Aelin, Aelwyn," Lady Marion whispered to them. "You must listen to me." Marion voice was even although she was breathing quickly. "You are going to run for the river. Do you remember the way to the footbridge?" Both girls nodded and Marion continued to give them directions to assure their safety._

 _"_ _Run_ now _," Lady Marion said as she shoved both girls out into the night. The two princesses sprinted into the trees towards the path to the footbridge when they heard a crash from the house and looked towards the open window. They watched as Lady Marion bought them time to run. They watched as the man broke Marion and then brought his blade down upon her head. They knew Marion was dead. They knew that Lady Marion had sacrificed herself to save_ them _so they ran._

 _They ran through the trees the brush ripping at their skin. The hoofbeats of the man's horse echoed through the forest as he galloped after them. Aelin tripped over a root and slammed into the ground. She immediately slammed into stop and whirled back to Aelin._

 _"_ _I'm stuck," Aelin cried as she frantically clawed at the ground trying to free her foot. She immediately dropped to the ground and joined Aelin clawing at the root. "No!_ Run _!" Aelin practically yelled at Kelsea as they heard the whine of a sword as it was drawn from it sheath._

 _"_ _No! Not without you!" She screamed back. Lady Marion had made a sacrifice for them and now it would be in vain. They continued to claw at the ground and yank on the roots until tiny eyes appeared in the dark and small fingers at the roots, heaving them up. Aelin yanked her foot free and she was immediately on her feet her hands and Aelin's arms pulling her to her feet. She shoved Aelin a bit signaling her to go first. Immediately responding, Aelin ran, limping now. The little folk had saved them._

 _They spotted the twin posts of the bridge in the moonless night and pushed their legs harder. The breath of the horse was hot on her neck as Aelin flung herself onto the bridge. Without faltering a step, she leaped onto the bridge after Aelin._

 _She was falling. Where was the bridge? They hadn't missed it – no those were the post and – the thought hit her like a brick to the face as she plummeted –_

 _He had cut the bridge._

 _She faintly heard the splash as Aelin hit the water before she herself went under._

 ** _⁓_**

 _She shuddered as she pulled herself out of the memory as she turned back to the man watching her._

 _Aelin. Where was Aelin? Surely, she's not –_

 _She stopped the thought dead because Aelin was all she had and the gods wouldn't be that cruel, would they? "Where's my sister?" She asked the stranger, voice shaking. His brows shot up at hearing the question._

 _"_ _Sister?" He asked. Her heart stopped dead in her chest. No._ No _. This can't be happening. She dreaded his next words as she already felt herself slipping away. "I didn't find anyone else at the river. My guess is that your sister is probably dead." Upon saying the words, the man stood and exited the room as if he hadn't just said the words that completely shattered her. Dead. Dead. He sister was_ dead _._ Aelin _was dead._

 _She had not cried when she woke up and found herself between her dead parents. She had not cried when she found out that her uncle, King Orlon was found assassinated in his bed. She had not cried when that man from last night had killed Lady Marion but now when she truly_ had _lost everything she couldn't help the silent tears that flooded down her face._

 _Aelin was dead. Her best friend was dead. Her sister. Her_ twin _– gone. She would never see her again. As this realization struck her silent tears became loud sobs. Gone. Her whole family was_ gone _._

 _She had been sitting on the bed in this unfamiliar room for an hour. Her tears had stopped a while ago and her mind had descended into the blank, numb nothingness. The same man from earlier entered the room with what she guessed was a change of clothes for her. She looked down at herself and realized that she was in the same clothes that she was wearing when she run from her parent's manner._

 _"_ _Finally done crying, are we?" The man asked she didn't have the proper coherency in her head from the numbness to decide whether he was mocking her or not so she just stared at him. There wasn't anything left in her to care anymore anyway. He threw a pair of pants and a tunic at her and said "A set of clothes. Hurry up and change your leaving within in the hour."_

 _The words brought her back to reality long enough to ask, "What?" Leaving. Why is she leaving? She had nowhere to go. "Leaving?"_

 _"_ _Yes leaving. Now hurry up, I'll give you food before you go and some to travel with when you leave along with some supplies."_

 _"_ _But where would I go? I have nowhere to go." She said the last part quietly._

 _"_ _I don't particularly care where you go so long as you go." The stranger said. There was no kindness on his face and his words only made her spiral back down into that same nothingness as before._

 _"_ _Why can't I stay?" She said the words so quietly that she was surprised he even heard._

 _"_ _Because I don't want you here." Of course not. Why would he? She was a mess – a broken mess. She nodded to him and moved to grab the clothes to start getting changed as the man left the room._

 _She got changed quickly and a few minutes later the stranger walked in and led her to the kitchen to give her some food. The rest of the house was almost identical to the room she had just vacated. The walls were the same generic white and the furniture that same sturdy basic design._

 _She ate silently not because she was hungry but because she would need her strength if she was going to survive on her own without even knowing where she was. As she ate the stranger gathered supplies from around the house. She saw him stuff a few sets of clothes and some food into a satchel. When he was finished he just silently stood in the kitchen watching her eat._

 _When she was done he finally spoke, "Good. Leave the plate and come over here." She stood from her chair and walked over to the stranger. He handed her the satchel as he spoke and gods it was heavy. "In your satchel, I have given you food and clothes." She just nodded as he spoke. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. A map of the continent. "We are here." He said pointing to a spot on the map. Suddenly he opened the door and walked a few paces out onto the grass that surrounded the house. "North, East, South, West." He said pointing in the correct directions. Again, she just nodded. She studied the map again and decided to head south. Away from Terrasen. She didn't care where she went only that she had to get away. She would probably die within a few days anyway so it didn't really matter where she went._

 _"_ _Thank you." She said to the auburn-haired stranger._

 _"_ _Good luck." Is all he said as she looked at the map again she could have sworn that there was a hint of amusement sparkling in his eyes as she turned on her heels and headed into Oakwald forest in the direction that the stranger pointed out as south._

 **⁓⁂⁓**

Kelsea jolted upright in bed covered in cold sweat. Aelin. _Aelin_ was _alive._ It was impossible but it was true. It was undeniably her – she looked exactly like Kelsea. Kelsea ran a hand through her hair. What was she going to do? What _do_ you do when you discover that your long-lost sister that has been dead for eight years has been alive the whole time? Kelsea let out a long breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. _Aelin_ was Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan's Assassin. By the Wyrd Kelsea's greatest rival is also her twin sister.

Arobynn Hamel had lied that day eight years ago that much was clear. She hadn't known the name of the man that had saved her from freezing to death on the side of a river then practically shoved her out the door as if she was a disease until a few years later when she saw him when she was in Rifthold for a mission and asked someone who he was. She had heard a few stories of Arobynn Hamel by that time and found herself rather glad that he had abandoned her rather than taking her in as an assassin – which she ended up becoming anyway – or handing her over to a brothel where she would have grown up to become a courtesan.

She'd debated for a good while on the beach, while Aelin explained her plan on how to free the slaves, if she should tell Aelin that she was alive but opted not to. At least not yet anyway. Aelin's master was Arobynn Hamel and whether he lied to her or not about Kelsea's survival that night it would still hurt when she realized that he had picked her and left Kelsea to die. That is considering that Aelin was anything like she had been eight years ago. Which Kelsea realized with a start might not be very likely if the stories about Celaena Sardothien were to be believed.

Another reason Kelsea didn't tell Aelin was the fact that maybe she didn't care. She built herself a life as a notorious assassin maybe she didn't want anything to do with her past which included Kelsea. Maybe she would only see Kelsea as the Assassin of the South and not her sister and hate her. The thought made her chest seize up and her eyes burn.

Maybe Kelsea was being ridiculous. Every night before she went to sleep for eight years she prayed to the gods that they'd grant her just one moment with her sister and now she was here living and healthy and Kelsea wasn't doing anything. Still she couldn't bring herself to tell Aelin even though every part of her cried out to be with her sister again. She groaned to herself. There was just too many maybes. Too many ways that it could go bad.

Kelsea sighed to herself. She most certainly did not want to get out of bed even if the mattress was shit but she had things to do today – a role to play. And tonight… tonight she, Aelin and her companion Sam Cortland would free two hundred slaves. She prayed to every god she knew that everything would go smoothly and they would free the slaves. Kelsea laughed quietly to herself as she realized that one act of rage has made her dreadfully boring visit to Skull's Bay very, very interesting.

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 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter and suggestions and (constructive) criticism would be greatly appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been awhile since I last posted something there is really no excuse apart form the fact that I have been really busy lately. Anyway, thank you to everyone who has liked my story and have followed/favourited and commented on it I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of the characters apart from Kelsea in this Fic.**

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Sitting at a table with a mug of ale and a hand of cards in front of her Kelsea cackled as she once again bested the group of pirates sitting in front of her in a game of cards. The tavern was crowded with pirates which was not surprising once word got out that Arobynn Hamel's assassins had opened up a tab. There wasn't a person present in the place that wasn't drinking – apart from Kelsea of course – which suited her as everyone was too busy drunk or getting drunk to worry about the fact that she wasn't drinking at all due to her mask that was securely on her face.

Kelsea glanced at the clock, by now Aelin and Sam should be well on their way over to the two slave ships if they are not already there by now. The plan was simple they would take out the guards on the ships and make sure the slaves were ready to row towards Ship-Breaker by sunrise while Kelsea stayed at the inn distracting everyone until they both came back and then we could execute the last part of the plan – take out Ship-Breaker and the two catapults.

 **⁓⁂⁓**

A couple of hours later Aelin walked through the inn doors Sam hot on her heels. She inclined her head slightly as if to say _we're all set_ and continued over to the bar. Kelsea still couldn't believe that it was Aelin – _Aelin –_ that was under that mask. Every time the thought crossed her mind it practically knocked her breathless. Kelsea still had not decided whether to tell Aelin who she really was yet and time was running out. In only a few hours Aelin would be going back to Rifthold and Kelsea… she would be going back to the Red Desert.

Suddenly losing interest in the current round of cards and more interested in joining her recently back form the dead twin sister Kelsea stood and threw hear hand of cards onto the table, "You lot are boring me to tears." She told the heads that looked up at her in question and strolled away from the table and toward the bar where Aelin and Sam were standing, a few annoyed grumbles and some words she chose not to hear followed her.

She casually strolled through the crowd keeping her steps light and unhurried even as her heart kicked into double gear as every step brought her closer to Aelin. It would seem that in the meantime Rolfe had joined the two and now he and Sam were each chugging a mug of ale while Aelin laughed from the side. Kelsea reached them just as Rolfe slammed his mug on the table which had Aelin laughing hard and Kelsea couldn't help herself as a laughed escaped her and all three of them turned to her.

"Rolfe. Cortland. Sardothien." She said inclining her head. Gods she'd almost said _Aelin_. "I saw how much fun you were having and couldn't resist coming over." Rolfe grinned and Sam placed his empty mug of ale onto the table. Kelsea couldn't help but smirk behind her mask when she saw the puddle around his mug that seemed oblivious to everyone else.

"Another round, gentlemen?" Aelin cried.

"Well I think it's safe to say that I prefer you like this to when we're discussing business," Rolfe said.

"Oh, I do, too. She's horrible most of the time." Sam said grinning, earning himself a kick in return, curtesy of Aelin.

"So, will I ever get to see the face behind the legendary Celaena Sardothien?" Rolfe said as he leaned his arms on the table.

"If you make my master and me as much money as you claim, I'll show you my face." A lie obviously but Rolfe only glanced at his hands. "Did you really sell your soul for that?"

"When you show me your face. I'll tell you the truth."

"Deal." Aelin said extending her hand which Rolfe took.

"And what about you? Will I ever see your face?" Rolfe said turning to Kelsea.

"Can we have the same deal?" Kelsea asked jerking her head towards the space where he and Aelin had recently shaken hands.

"Certainly," he replied grinning while he extended his hand.

Kelsea took his outstretched hand and said, "My face however may indeed be an eyesore," Kelsea shrugged, "I suppose it's just a risk you're going to have to take."

That set them all laughing and Aelin only fished out a pack of cards from her cloak, "Care for a game of Kings?"

 **⁓⁂⁓**

After several games of cards all of which Sam won the clock shifted to five and Rolfe was now in a pissy mood.

Sam gave Aelin and Kelsea a nod which had Aelin tripping over a passing pirate who started a chain reaction that lead to the tavern exploding into a brawl. Everywhere was utter chaos as Kelsea maneuvered her way through the crowds towards the exit. Surprisingly she got out rather easily and only had to throw a few punches. The streets were also full of mayhem as Kelsea made her way towards the meet up point with Sam and Aelin.

They were both already there by the time Kelsea got there and upon seeing her Aelin said, "Let's go. The watch must have changed by now. We've got until dawn to disable that chain and the catapults." Kelsea nodded and turned around to start running in the opposite direction as Sam said something to Aelin that had her swearing with an impressive amount of colour that only made him laugh.

As Kelsea turned onto a quiet street, Aelin and Sam on her heels, Rolfe stepped out of the shadows "Going somewhere?"

The sky was starting to shift in to a light grey around them as dawn approached.

"I'd rather not get my hands dirty in that mess." Aelin replied.

"Funny, given that you tripped the man who started the brawl." Rolfe drew his sword, "And also funny, since you've been spoiling for a fight for days," he looked to Kelsea and added "both of you. And suddenly decide to vanish when everyone's attention is elsewhere."

Sam raised his hands, "We don't want any trouble."

Rolfe chuckled humorlessly "Maybe you don't, Sam Cortland, but _they_ do." Rolfe stepped towards them, sword dangling at his side. "They have wanted trouble since the moment they stepped foot on my island. What was your plan? Steal treasure? Information?" As he spoke the oars shot out the sides of the ships. The slaves were ready but the chain was still up. Kelsea prayed that Rolfe wouldn't look. But he did.

"I'm going to kill you both, Celaena Sardothien and Kelsea Barrow." Rolfe breathed, meaning every word.

Kelsea heard something fall on the ground and turned to see Aelin shaking off her hood her mask lay disregarded on the ground. Rolfe froze. "You… You're… What sort of trickery is this?"

The oars from the ships began moving as Aelin murmured to Kelsea and Sam, "Go. _Now._ " Sam only nodded and sprinted down the street but Kelsea hesitated. She didn't want to leave her sister even though she could no doubt look after herself. Aelin turned to Kelsea in question and Kelsea decided that Aelin could handle Rolfe and took off down the street after Sam.

She easily caught up to him due to all her morning runs through the Red Dessert. Barely a minute passed of them running side by side when Rolfe shouted "They're trying to steal our ships! To your boats! To the watchtower!" Shit. A roar erupted around them and Kelsea had two heartbeats to decide what to do.

"You go to the watchtower and get that chain down I'll hold them off." She shouted at Sam over the chaos of the streets.

He whipped his head towards her, "What!" he barked.

"Get the chain down I'll hold them off." He took a second to contemplate then finally nodded. Kelsea fell back and cut towards the docks.

 **⁓⁂⁓**

Within a few minutes of reaching the docks Kelsea managed to take out most of the pirates piling into row boats but a few escaped armed with swords, cutlasses or axes swearing at the top of their lungs.

Kelsea turned towards the watchtower to see Sam charging up the stairs of the tower and two pirates rushing down the steps. Sam dodged one, swiftly knocking him down and skewering the other clean through the middle. A dozen pirates had now reached the bottom of the tower and Ship-Breaker was still up and the two catapults were still there. Kelsea launched into a sprint for the tower cursing that she was so far away. She prayed Aelin was all right and hoped that maybe she was closer to Sam.

As she ran Kelsea didn't dare take her eyes from Sam or the watchtower. Sam was trying everything he could to disarm the chain but the chain was too heavy for one man to move. The slave ships were so close that stopping was impossible and a dozen pirates were now climbing the stairs.

Sam slung himself onto the catapult level below and hurled himself against the rotating platform of the catapult and pushed it toward the tower, toward the spot where the chain was anchored in the stone wall.

Kelsea's eyes were glued to the tower as Sam raised his sword as a pirate threw his dagger towards him. He brought his sword down on the catapult rope, doubling over, and the boulder slammed into the tower, shattering stone, wood, and metal. The chain collapsed, taking out a chunk of the tower as the impact sounded across the bay.

Finally tearing her eyes away from the tower Kelsea took in her surroundings. She hadn't noticed Aelin running ahead of her and she also didn't notice Rolfe appear out of nowhere as Aelin drew her sword. Kelsea drew in a breath to shout a warning but Rolfe moved faster and within moments he had his dagger pressed to her throat.

Kelsea rushed towards Aelin drawing two daggers from her side when Rolfe whirled towards her upon hearing her approach and hissed, "You make a move, and I'll split her throat on the ground." His free hand ripping Aelin's dagger from its sheath and tossing it into the brush also taking her sword.

"Why not just kill me right now?"

Rolfe laughed, "Because I want to take a long, long while to enjoy killing you." Kelsea snarled at him. Rolfe's head whipped towards her, "Why don't you drop your weapons or…," he pushed the knife harder into Aelin's neck for emphasis. Aelin's hiss of pain made Kelsea see red, "or your little friend here loses her throat." Kelsea's daggers thudded to the ground. "Good girl," Rolfe smirked.

Rolfe spoke to them both as he said, "Do you know what your little attempts at playing hero cost me?" He pushed the blade harder into Aelin's neck splitting the skin. "Two hundred slaves, plus two ships, plus the seven ships you disabled in the harbor, plus countless lives."

And Aelin, damn her, just snorted, and said, "Don't forget the ale from last night." Rolfe shifted his blade, digging in, making Aelin wince. Kelsea was running out of time and she didn't know what to do, she had to get Rolfe's dagger away from Aelin's neck yet she had no idea how she was to do that.

"I'll take that from your flesh too, don't worry." Rolfe shifted his blade again digging in even harder which brought tears to Aelin's eyes and Kelsea did the only thing she could think of. The thing that Aelin had done earlier in the street. She reached up so quickly that Rolfe didn't register the movement and ripped off her mask and pulled off her hood and looked him dead in the eye.

Kelsea couldn't find it in herself to look at her sister but the sharp intake of breath she heard told Kelsea enough. No, Arobynn had not told Aelin that her twin had survived all those years ago. "What… But… I – I don't understand." Rolfe spluttered looking between the two, "What are you playing at!" he spat at Kelsea, at Aelin, but in his surprise, he had shifted onto uneven footing and Aelin struck, throwing her back into his chest, and hooking her foot behind his.

Aelin threw her hand up between Rolfe's dagger and her throat as he stumbled back. She butted her elbow into his stomach and as he doubled over Aelin's knee slammed into his nose. She grabbed the fallen dagger of the Pirate Lord as he reached for his sword. She knocked him onto his back and crouched over him holding his dagger to his neck as Kelsea stooped to pick up her daggers and casually strolled over.

Kelsea looked over her sister's shoulder to Rolfe on the ground, "Well, _that_ didn't go the way you expected, did it?" Gods she was so close, _so close_ to Aelin and now… now Aelin knew she was alive. She pushed the thoughts aside for later, focusing on the task at hand.

They paused for a moment to ensure that no pirates were about to come crashing down the road. She grabbed the collar of his tunic pulling his head closer to hers, smirking Aelin said, "So, this is what's going to happen."

 **⁓⁂⁓**

Aelin was completely and utterly insane. Within minutes she had gotten Rolfe to sign and stamp two documents with his seal ensuring that Arobynn will never trade in slaves and Rolfe will never, _ever_ trade in slaves again and Skull's Bay is now a safe-haven for all slaves.

Kelsea couldn't even believe what was happening. One-minute Rolfe had his dagger to Aelin's throat and then the next… Kelsea let out a shaky breath. She stayed silent as Aelin sort out her dealings with Rolfe letting her mind wonder to another pressing issue that would arrive sooner than Kelsea would prefer. What she would say to Aelin? What do you say? _Hello, it's great to see you alive after all these years_ or _Hey, sorry I haven't seen you for eight years but I was under the impression that you were dead._ Oh gods, what was she going to _do._

Kelsea was pulled from her thoughts when Aelin struck Rolfe with two swift blows to points in his neck, knocking him unconscious. Aelin surveyed his in prostate body for a moment before she stiffened as is struck by something. Kelsea's chest tightened and she took a sharp intake of breath as Aelin slowly, so slowly, turned to face Kelsea.

As eyes of turquoise ringed with a core of gold met eyes of turquoise ringed with a core of gold both gazes lined with silver Aelin whispered barely loud enough for Kelsea to hear, "Aelwyn…"

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter I'm open to any and all (constructive) criticism or suggestions you may have.**


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